Minerva Magazine

[Andrew McCabe]

I do enjoy the Byzantine professor (in the op-ed section of all places!) who recites historical instances that pertain to today, but he only appears every few months.

It's a very expensive paper.  The weekend subscription costs more than my two local papers combined for the whole month. It's not really worth it for the Sunday travel section, and an occasional good story about a museum exhibition.

I guess "very expensive paper" is a matter of perspective. I buy the NY Times on Kindle, GBP 2.49 for the Sunday edition or 1.49 for any other day. And if I'm busy or have other reading material, then I can skip a week or two. The Sunday edition typically has as much interesting reading in it than periodicals such as the Economist or the New Yorker, but for half the price.

But generally it's hit and miss with any newspapers or news periodicals. I recommend Minerva:

http://www.minervamagazine.co.uk/

With each new subscription you get a "collector quality" Roman coin or a 3 disc ancient history DVD box set. I would recommend to choose the DVDs and keep your coin purchases for Forvm! It may seem expensive, but the quality is superb, and there is a collector focus (antiquities and coins) as well as an ancient history and archaeological focus. This months has the following articles

• Manic or media victim? Is it time to reassess Caligula?
• Games for the gods? Well-oiled cheating, murder and mutilation at the ancient Olympics
• The avant gardener - Exploring little Sparta, the garden of the late poet/artist Ian Hamilton Finlay
• A gallop through history - The journey of the horse from the wilds of Kazakhstan to the Royal Studs
• A bird's eye view - What viewing the British landscape from the air can tell us about the development of human habitation
• Vive la différence! The interpretation of heritage and history at Alésia
• The history boy - Interview with author Tom Holland
• On the trail of the Etruscans - Going off the beaten track in the Maremma
• A Minotaur in Montparnasse - Picasso's Classical references in The Vollard Suite
• Meet the Moche - A Peruvian people who produced extraordinary pots

[Adrian W]

We Brits produce some good stuff another interesting magazine you can get on Kindle is the BBC's History magazine covers all different time periods and has some interesting stuff.

You can also find on Youtube a series known as Timeteam where they travel around the UK and do 3 day archaeological digs and its interesting what they find.

To get the full feel you need to be able to get on the channel 4 website to look at all of the series which you cannot do from a US computer however their are ways you can trick the UK servers into thinking you are in the UK when you are really in the US.You can get a programme for $15 for 4 months that allows you to do that.

It runs a bit slow and you need to give it time to load up and some patience but works great.

If anyone wants to know p.m. me and I will forwards you the link.I watch a lot of current BBC programmes that way.

Adrian

[Mat]

We Brits produce some good stuff another interesting magazine you can get on Kindle is the BBC's History magazine covers all different time periods and has some interesting stuff.

You can also find on Youtube a series known as Timeteam where they travel around the UK and do 3 day archaeological digs and its interesting what they find.

To get the full feel you need to be able to get on the channel 4 website to look at all of the series which you cannot do from a US computer however their are ways you can trick the UK servers into thinking you are in the UK when you are really in the US.You can get a programme for $15 for 4 months that allows you to do that.

It runs a bit slow and you need to give it time to load up and some patience but works great.

If anyone wants to know p.m. me and I will forwards you the link.I watch a lot of current BBC programmes that way.

Adrian

I read that magazine each month, its one of my favorites.

[Andrew McCabe]

Oddly I am not a fan of either BBC History magazine, nor of Timeteam. I find both to be irritatingly dumbed down, with content that presumes no prior knowledge of anything, a tendency of the History magazine to re-run all the well known moments (Suetonius' 12 Caesar period was fresh and exciting when Robert Graves wrote 'I Claudius' but is pretty tired from remakes by now), and in the case of Timeteam I find the pace of the programmes slow, tens of minutes of muddy trenches and then a "wow what have we got here" moment. On balance I find I learn nothing new from either. This is why I like Minerva. It's marvellously illustrated but pitched at those who know that Roman history didn't start with Julius Caesar and that there is more to Greece history than Athens, Sparta and Alexander.

To support my assertion that BBC History is an endless rehash of repetitive themes, when you search back issues for "Classical History", the first page of results lists articles on.

Cleopatra the Great
The Great Pyramid
The Rosetta Stone
Pompeii
Caesar: Life of a Colossus
69As: Year of the Four Emperors
Ancient Rome
The Sons of Caesar
Some Talk of Alexander
The Trojan War

Flip to the last page of results and you get the same lowest-common denominator choice of subject matters (solely topics that all readers are already familiar with), Spartacus. Tutankhamen's curse, and so on for all points in between. Mind-numbingly tedious. I want new, or I want original. If I want to know about Pompeii, I read Mary Beard, if I want an informal picture of Spartacus, Lawrence Olivier, Kirk Douglas and Jean Simmons did a pretty good take in the 1960 movie, and Robert Graves is the go-to source for entertaining storylines on the 12 Caesar period. I don't need BBC History rehashes.

For those who disagree, you may brand me a killjoy. For those in sympathy, perhaps try an issue or two of Minerva, or maybe you have a magazine you could recommend to me?

[benito]

I heartily agree Andrew.
Bought my firt Minerva while living in London (1990) and never stopped.

[David Atherton]

I thought I would break this off into its own topic since Minerva magazine seems like an important resource.

[mauseus]

Hi,

I used to subscribe to Minerva and still buy it when I see it.

The month before last there was an excellent article on the Roman short throwing spear that is occasionally seen on the obverse of some rare late third and early fourth century coin types. The paper reported "experimental archaeology" looking at their manufacture, range and effectiveness including experiments plunging into viscous liquid that had the same resistance as flesh to demonstrate the amount of tissue damage.

Regards,

Mauseus

[Optimo Principi]

Oddly I am not a fan of either BBC History magazine, nor of Timeteam. I find both to be irritatingly dumbed down, with content that presumes no prior knowledge of anything. In the case of Timeteam I find the pace of the programmes slow, tens of minutes of muddy trenches and then a "wow what have we got here" moment.

As much as this is a matter of taste, I have to disagree. Whilst the modern dumbing down of informative media is something that regularly riles me I always thought of Time Team as a show that actually went against the grain here. The pacing of the show, which you cite as a frustration of yours, is an example of this. Ironically, one of the main criticisms of the show is its rushed nature, what with its 3 day time limit. Still, It is not filled with fast edits, pretty faces, tension music, over the top graphics. It is just real archaeologists in muddy trenches, getting excited by the things real archaeologists get excited by, pot sherds, marks in the soil etc. Compare it to a new show like “Britain’s Secret Treasures” where the whole focus is gold, gold, gold! Time Team was a far more authentic image of what archaeology is. Painstaking and procedural and naturally not for everyone.

Time Team may not be pitched at those with expert level archaeological knowledge but it’s by no means patronising either. It takes for granted that the viewer has basic understanding of the surveying and geo-phys methods they use, geography and roads of Roman Britain, elements of a Roman villa etc. Regular contributor Guy de la Bedoyere is one of the foremost experts on Roman Britain and would always explain the context of finds with detail and eloquence, making reference to the emperors on coins they discovered and deciphering descriptions.

You know, at one point Time Team was actually responsible for the vast majority of all active UK archaeology, such was the pitiable amount of government funding given to the field. UK archaeology owes the show, which will probably end this year, a massive debt of gratitude for the knowledge it has given us.

[Andrew McCabe]

Oddly I am not a fan of either BBC History magazine, nor of Timeteam. I find both to be irritatingly dumbed down, with content that presumes no prior knowledge of anything. In the case of Timeteam I find the pace of the programmes slow, tens of minutes of muddy trenches and then a "wow what have we got here" moment.

As much as this is a matter of taste, I have to disagree. Whilst the modern dumbing down of informative media is something that regularly riles me I always thought of Time Team as a show that actually went against the grain here. The pacing of the show, which you cite as a frustration of yours, is an example of this. Ironically, one of the main criticisms of the show is its rushed nature, what with its 3 day time limit. Still, It is not filled with fast edits, pretty faces, tension music, over the top graphics. It is just real archaeologists in muddy trenches, getting excited by the things real archaeologists get excited by, pot sherds, marks in the soil etc. Compare it to a new show like “Britain’s Secret Treasures” where the whole focus is gold, gold, gold! Time Team was a far more authentic image of what archaeology is. Painstaking and procedural and naturally not for everyone.

Time Team may not be pitched at those with expert level archaeological knowledge but it’s by no means patronising either. It takes for granted that the viewer has basic understanding of the surveying and geo-phys methods they use, geography and roads of Roman Britain, elements of a Roman villa etc. Regular contributor Guy de la Bedoyere is one of the foremost experts on Roman Britain and would always explain the context of finds with detail and eloquence, making reference to the emperors on coins they discovered and deciphering descriptions.

You know, at one point Time Team was actually responsible for the vast majority of all active UK archaeology, such was the pitiable amount of government funding given to the field. UK archaeology owes the show, which will probably end this year, a massive debt of gratitude for the knowledge it has given us.

Hi

It is possible I am mistaken in my evaluation of time team, in which case I will admit my error.

Two aspects I guess turned me off
- the short timeframe which struck me as a bit game showish
- muddy trenches

I guess if I don't like muddy trenches or cold rain, then I probably don't have any inclination to be an archaeologist.

So I will defer to your better judgment on this and admit in this case that I'm probably the philistine!

thanks for the richer and better informed opinion which you have provided!

Andrew

[cicerokid]

"Some talk of Alexander", by Federic Raphael- a must read, ( the book, don't know about the article!).

[Andrew McCabe]

"Some talk of Alexander", by Federic Raphael- a must read, ( the book, don't know about the article!).

Yes the book is a must read. It has a merit which I repeatedly try to mimic in my postings on Forvm - it persistently, and in surprising, unpredictable, entertaining and informative directions, goes off topic. Sometimes I had to glance at the cover to check that it was really a book related to Alexander the Great, but it's in the end a satisfying whole.

[David Atherton]

Federic Raphael wrote a wonderful essay in the TLS on Flavius Josephus back in December. It was one of the most interesting explanations on why Josephus turned "traitor" I've yet read. The subtitle to the piece 'a great historian and a bad Jew' is perfect. He will be publishing a full book on Josephus early next year, until then I will have to check out the Alexander book, which sounds very promising!

[Adrian W]

Kained but Able
I agree with you on Time Team sometimes its fun to watch them get excited all about a piece of pottery but its never about finding about anything of value monetary just the history behind it.

I have not seen that many episodes but one of my favorite was about an ancient spring that someone had salted with all kinds of stuff that threw up red flags every where.You could tell they where not too happy about it but gracefully handled it without telling the owners of the land who obviously had done it they where a bunch of idiots for wasting Time Team's  time.

They found a part of an ancient roman sword I think that was original but it was lying on top of a piece of barbed wire fence that
was under ground which raised the question should it not be under the barbed wire and not on top of it unless the barbed wire was ancient also.

It's one of my favorite shows to watch,but the family hates it so I have to watch it on my computer in the office.

My Bro has a part of Offa's Dyke that runs right along the back of his house,its a very noticeable part.

[MagisterRiggs]

I love this magazine and read it on my IPad.

Cary

[cliff_marsland]

I thought of subscribing to Minerva, but opportunity cost always came up.  Does it have very many articles about coins and also Roman history? 

[benito]

I thought of subscribing to Minerva, but opportunity cost always came up.  Does it have very many articles about coins and also Roman history? 

Leaning much more towards archaelogy than coins.

[Andrew McCabe]

I thought of subscribing to Minerva, but opportunity cost always came up.  Does it have very many articles about coins and also Roman history? 

If you want specific articles on coins and history, then Coin World (the UK glossy) is more what you need. It has regular features by Marvin Tamaenko and others. Be aware that they are usually on 'popular' subjects however (Cleopatra etc). Celator is another choice, but in recent years it has got very very dull - it has swung towards the academic side but often the subjects and treatment fall short of academic, thus falling between stools, with no fun articles on Empresses hairstyles like Wayne Sayles used to have, yet the articles which it does have are often academically speculative. It also has lost the more interesting contributors such as Phil Davis, who I used to look forward to. In the end I feel I gain more value from going the whole way and subscribing to the ANS or RNS journals. Minerva is really about ancient art, archaeology and history; it often has small items that relate to coins but only very rarely full articles.

My criteria are that I always want to be informed (hence popular publications generally don't make my grade); entertainment is an added benefit. Minerva does both in relation to general ancient art, archaeology and history - the subjects are usually new to me hence informative, whilst the treatment is glossy and entertaining. It's dpwnside is that it does not cover coins. ANS and RNS do the "inform" only. Coin World does the "entertain" but without informing. BBC History (per my earlier criticism) also only entertains, but also lacks the coins. Celator is only somewhat informative and no longer very entertaining.

I think all potential readers need to assess themselves on the entertain/inform need axes, and choose accordingly. Clearly if general articles on subjects such as Cleopatra sound interesting, then certain magazines will be appropriate, and other very academic ones would be less appropriate. But I don't see why a really good publication cannot both bring new, fresh, informative material, and do so in a glossy, pictorially attractive and upbeat manner. It's possible.

[cliff_marsland]

The Celator is affordable; less for a whole year than the New York Times is for a month.  I really need to get around to subscribing.  I haven't read it since my college years, when my well-stocked Classics Library had it.  I also loved the dealer lists - I got some of my favorite Byzantine coins that way, but those were the years just before the internet became viable.

[Optimo Principi]

Good news, Minerva has bucked the trend in academia and decided to go "open access". All back issues are now available for free in PDF here - http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/open-access-journal-minerva.html

 

[4to2CentBCphilia]

Good news, Minerva has bucked the trend in academia and decided to go "open access". All back issues are now available for free in PDF here - http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/open-access-journal-minerva.html

 

A tip of the hat to the folks who made this possible.   

Good find.

On another note, I did not realize that Jerome Eisenberg was no longer the Editor in Chief of the publication.



BR

Mark

[David Atherton]

Incredible find Gareth! Worthy enough to make this topic a "sticky".

[Optimo Principi]

Yes 22 years' worth of back issues, what an amazing resource! Perfect reading for the iPad.

[Andrew McCabe]

amazing. What a find. I guess I shouldn't have bothered with a sub, since nothing is ever really "new" in ancient history, so 20 years of back years is as valuable as 20 years of future issues. On the other hand they do needs subs to survive...

Thank you!!!

[Andrew McCabe]

It's rather amusing to read the title of the first main article in the very first issue. "The Giglio Wreck", January 1990. What foresight!!! Aside from the later vintage (January 2012) wreck off Giglio, the island's coastline is best known for a Corinthian helmet found in the earlier wreck.

[Maffeo]

What a great find! Thank you so much